Suffering from mites and have baby chicks on the way. What to do??

[citychicks99]

We've been battling mites since July. I first used Gordon's Permethrin that I got from Tractor Supply. Sprayed them once and again in two weeks. We got new birds a few weeks later and I noticed mite eggs on them so I did the same thing using Permethrin.

Well, I saw a small light gray bug the other day around my chicken. I lied to myself that it was a spider but my first thought is that it's a mite. My rooster is also losing feathers around his neck again like when he got mites the first time. It looks a lot more irritated this time. I'm at my wit's end. How do I get rid of the mites?? I also found out that one of the hens are broody and has been brooding for two weeks, so the eggs are due to hatch by next week.

I'm really hoping to get rid of the mites before the eggs hatch. I think I will have to treat all of them once they hatch any way. At this point, should I just go the natural route since I'll most likely need to treat the baby chicks? Or should I try Permethrin again? Or get Ivermectin?

The chickens are also free to roam the entire yard. Any suggestions on treating the yard?

I appreciate any help with this!

 

[nuthatched]

Did you clean out the coop completely, use permrethrine on everything and put in fresh bedding?

 

[citychicks99]

Did you clean out the coop completely, use permrethrine on everything and put in fresh bedding?

Yes. I realized I put some of their old bedding in a compost bin that I forgot about so I'm going to dump out everything tomorrow.

 

[aart]

Sprayed them once and again in two weeks.

Did you get the spray on their skin?
Around vent, under wings, on belly and around neck?

I also found out that one of the hens are broody and has been brooding for two weeks, so the eggs are due to hatch by next week.

Spray her good immediately.
Remove eggs and bedding and spray nest thoroughly before adding new bedding and replacing eggs.

 

[citychicks99]

Did you get the spray on their skin?
Around vent, under wings, on belly and around neck?


Spray her good immediately.
Remove eggs and bedding and spray nest thoroughly before adding new bedding and replacing eggs.

I sprayed their vent, under the wings, and between their shoulders.

I managed to catch two of them yesterday and examined them and couldn't find anything. I thought I would find mite eggs at the base of the feathers, but I checked the base at the back of the neck and it looked normal. Now that I think about it, I think the grey bug I found was maybe too big to be a mite and it was on concrete in broad daylight. A small red bug fell on me after picking up one of my chickens in July and that's when I sprayed them but it didn't look like the bug I saw last week. I'm also not sure if the rooster is just molting since it's that time of year. I noticed him losing feathers at the back of his neck last week and my first thought was molting. I freaked out when I saw him losing them at the front since it looks like the last time so it's hard for me to tell. They're all acting normal. I had also sprayed them two weeks ago.

The brooding hen is a new addition and she's super flighty. She made a nest in the wild and is brooding there and I don't want to disturb her. I had sprayed her right before she started brooding too.

I still plan on cleaning out their coop and washing their floor with hot water and Dawn dish soap. I also don't mind dusting my yard with diatamaceous earth but I'm hesitant to use Permethrin a third time since the end of July in case the mites build resistance to it.

I can't decide if I should go ahead and treat them anyway just to be safe or if I should just spray them with a mixture I found online of oil, water and essential oils and treat it like a preventative. I'm also adding brewer's yeast with garlic to their feed, adding some apple cider vinegar to their water and I bought a bag of Feather Fixer yesterday since I read that it changes the pH of their poop and it repels mites.

 

[aart]

I also don't mind dusting my yard with diatamaceous earth

Don't bother....it won't do a darn thing to kill mites.

I'm hesitant to use Permethrin a third time since the end of July in case the mites build resistance to it.

It can take more than two treatments if the infestation was bad.
Spray the birds again...and the coop especially any cracks and crevices.

I can't decide if I should go ahead and treat them anyway just to be safe

Yes.

if I should just spray them with a mixture I found online of oil, water and essential oils and treat it like a preventative. I'm also adding brewer's yeast with garlic to their feed, adding some apple cider vinegar to their water and

Don't bother with any of this....all myth, repeated anecdotally.

I bought a bag of Feather Fixer yesterday since I read that it changes the pH of their poop and it repels mites.

Eh, when it first came out it marketed pest repellent attributes.
That's since been disproved so now they can't advertise it that way.

 

[citychicks99]

Don't bother....it won't do a darn thing to kill mites.


It can take more than two treatments if the infestation was bad.
Spray the birds again...and the coop especially any cracks and crevices.


Yes.


Don't bother with any of this....all myth, repeated anecdotally.


Eh, when it first came out it marketed pest repellent attributes.
That's since been disproved so now they can't advertise it that way.

Thanks, I appreciate your insight. I sprayed them this morning right before letting them out of the coop. I also swept the garden and can't believe how many feathers I missed yesterday. I'll wash their coop after this, let it dry, then spray it with Permethrin.

I just found an article saying that sulfur has been used back in the day for mite control. The article I read compared it to Permethrin and found sulfur to be more effective. Have you ever tried it? I wonder why not many people talk about it.

 

[Geena]

You need to spray every 5 to 7 days instead of waiting 2 weeks. Permethrin doesn't kill the eggs and new mites will hatch out in about 5 days. If you are seeing eggs at the base of the feathers it may be lice, not mites.

 

[citychicks99]

You need to spray every 5 to 7 days instead of waiting 2 weeks. Permethrin doesn't kill the eggs and new mites will hatch out in about 5 days. If you are seeing eggs at the base of the feathers it may be lice, not mites.

That's what I thought.. the label said to repeat in two weeks but I'll spray again next week.

I handled them at night about a month ago, and a few minutes later, I got four very itchy and painful small red bites near my armpit. That's the most painful bite from a bug that I've ever had and I've been bit by fleas, mosquitoes and spiders. Is that your experience with mite bites?

 

[Sussex19]

I tried using sulfur on my goats when they had lice, and it did absolute nothing!
I even tried separating a couple of lice as an experiment and completely covering them in sulfur, and they just happily carried on with their day.
Whereas the Permethrin I have found to be very affective, after dusting for lice one day, they are all gone the next. (except the egg, which is why one needs to do it again)
When there was mites in my coop, I put the dust in all the cracks, and the next day there was heaps of dead mites.